Press Release - KBShimmer Summer 2013 Collection

KBShimmer is excited to announce the addition of 9 new colors to their 3-Free glitter polish line and an expansion to their nail prep line.  Owner Christy Rose says “With warm weather and sandals popping up, June is the perfect time for bright, bold colors and patriotic themes to celebrate a fun and exciting summer.”

The summer lineup includes one glitter top coat, two glitter crellys in a white base and six bright, bold polishes, two in a matte finish.  KBShimmer will also be expanding their nail care line to include two scented cuticle oils and liquid nail prep. “Our new line was created to play off the bolder palette of summer, some inspired by the 80’s and 90s, but also to celebrate the patriotic season. One of our polishes plays off the color of the year, Emerald Green, and will ease people into the summer while two others were inspired by the fall 2013 Pantone colors Koi and Vivacious. Both will make for an easy transition through the summer and into the fall.  We are also excited to unveil two scented cuticle oils in an easy-applicator pen.  We hope to inspire and motivate people to go out in the sun and show off their nails!” says Rose.

KBShimmer– SUMMER 2013 COLLECTION

What’s Your Damage? – White crelly polish with neon green, neon pink, and black glitters.

Don’t Pink Twice –Bright near magenta pink with subtle blue shimmer – matte

24 Carrot Bold –Orange red polish with gold shimmer – matte

Blinded By The Bright – Neon yellow polish with a scattering of hex glitters in the 6 primary and secondary colors

The Dancing Green –A almost neon green with blue undertones, accented by fuchsia, sapphire,  green and chartreuse glitters in different shapes and sizes

Totally Tubular – A blue-green crelly polish with fuchsia circle glitters in two sizes and fuchsia micro slices, aqua circle glitters and sapphire hex glitters.

Totally Razzical – A red-violet shade leaning towards the purple side of raspberry. Loaded with holographic hex glitters in magenta, silver and pink.

Grayscale – Black, White, and Gray glitters are suspended in a clear base. Circles, hexes, rectangles, and squares in so many sizes complete this glitter top coat.

Pimp My Pride – This white based polish features metallic red and blue glitters. Best worn in three coats, or 1-2 coats over your favorite white.

Shipping June 1, 2013

KBShimmer products can be found at Http://www.KBShimmer.com.  For sales outside of the US visit http://www.HarlowandCo.org.

KBShimmer was founded in 2008 by the husband and wife team of Jason and Christy Rose.  KBShimmer offers unique and colorful nail glitter nail polishes that are Big 3 Free, with all glitter formulas being completely free of chemicals such as toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP).  KBShimmer glitter polishes feature a flat glitter grabbing brush for easy application.  KBShimmer also offers a 2-free quick dry polish top coat, olive oil lotion, sugar scrubs, lip balms, cold process soaps and other skin care products.

If you would like more information about KBShimmer, contact Christy Rose by emailing sales@kbshimmer.com or visting Http://www.KBShimmer.com.

© 2013 KBShimmer. All rights reserved

Zoya Stunning Collection

I should change my blog name to The Swatching Snail because I am just now getting this collection up! I know you have seen these countless times but I hope you will  stay and see my swatches and read about my experience with them. 

Zoya is my absolute #1 favorite nail polish company. I love their range of colors, the quality, brushes, customer service, and their bottles are adorable. I was thrilled (and overwhelmed) when they released three summer collections around the same time (Summer PixieDusts, Stunning, and Irresistible). I'm completely obsessed with textured nail polish now but I did want to see something other than the PixieDusts and Zoya certainly delivered. Every single polish is beautiful. Most work for my skin tone, some don't but quality wise, they are all top notch. 

Today, I'm showing you Zoya Stunning which consists of six vibrant cremes. The formulas were inconsistent throughout the collection so I'll discuss each polishes' formula under it's picture. I used Duri Rejuvacote as my base coat and Seche Vite as my top coat. 

*Products were provided for review.

Zoya Yana
This is going to be on my toes a lot this summer. It's a cool toned darkened pink that's nearing neon status. It's very close to being a one coater but I applied a second just in case VNL (visible nail line) would show up in the pictures. It applied smoothly without any problems.

Zoya Micky
I love this shade! It's in the coral family that leans more on the pink side. I can't usually pull off corals but I think I can pull this one off. Like Yana, Micky is almost a one coater. It's formula is amazing, no problems there!

Thandie
Everyone needs an orange creme in their collection and Thandie is just that. It's a lighter orange which is a good thing for my skin tone! Thandie's formula is on the thin side. Wipe off the excess polish from your brush before applying and you shouldn't have any problems. Despite being thinner, it applies smoothly, self levels perfectly, and dries quickly. I used three thin coats to cover up my VNL but shorter nails will only require two (I think).

Zoya Darcy

Darcy is sunshine on your fingertips. Like most yellows, it has a tricky formula. For best results, I applied my first coat with a thin layer which was very streaky. My next coat was a little thicker but still on the thin side. That covered up most of the streaks. To give it a completely opaque and smooth finish I applied one more thin coat. That did the trick! Yellow isn't my first pick because of how it clashes with my skin tone. 

Zoya Josie

This is my favorite of the collection. I'm a sucker for green polish and Josie is simply beautiful. It's a lovely grassy green that's perfect for this time of year. If you don't like green, it would be a great color to have for nail art. I needed two coats, no problems with the formula. 

Zoya Rocky
When I think of the name Rocky, I think of a bruised and sweaty Sylvester Stallone. Zoya Rocky is so dainty and soft, it just doesn't work for me! Name aside, it's a lovely sky blue creme. I only needed two coats for opacity. No problems with formula! 

Zoya Stunning is a beautiful collection that works for wearing alone and in nail art. If you are like me and have a lot of polish, you may not need all of these colors. If you have a smaller collection, they are great basic colors to have. With that said, I love this collection and don't have any dupes besides Darcy (yellow creme). I can see myself reaching for these again and again, they are gorgeous! 

Which shades are your favorite? 

-Mira

Thanks for reading!

Please subscribe and visit me on my Facebook page!

*Products were provided for review. 

Nail Pattern Boldness Oodiful

Nail Pattern Boldness is a new to me brand but I think it's been around for a while. They got my attention with their witty brand name and I couldn't resist grabbing the beautiful Oodiful. I rhymed...I couldn't help myself. Apparently Oodiful has something to do with Dr. Who but I'm not familiar with the show. They have other Dr. Who themed polishes so if you're a fan you should check it out!

Oodiful is a delicate grey jelly with a sprinkling of white and pink glitter. The pink squares are my favorite part I must say. I never know how a jelly polish will build so I started with a base of Zoya Dove (grey creme). The glitter payoff in Oodiful isn't great so I ended up using three coats to try to get the amount of glitter I wanted. You know me, the more glitter the better!

The formula is thin but good besides it needing more glitter. ;) It isn't as blue toned as my pictures show. I'm going to try it without a base color next time and see if I like that better. 

Thanks for reading!

Please subscribe and visit me on my Facebook page. 

-Mira

Cult Nails In the Garden Collection Part 2

Hi Everyone! I'm back with the rest of the polishes from the In the Garden Collection by Cult Nails. This was the part of the collection I was really excited about. I bought the whole collection during the presale and figured I'd use the orange and yellow for nail art. Turns out that I really loved the bright colors and am glad I picked them all up. 

Cult Nails Kiss My Rose Bush

This is a pretty standard barbie pink. If it weren't for the wax finish, 

I wouldn't have been interested because I already have polish similar to this color. 

The formula was a bit difficult to work with. It was on the thick side and was a little gooey. It doesn't self level well so you have to get a smooth coat on your own. I used two thick coats leaving plenty of dry time in between to prevent dragging. I really want to love this and am hoping that thinner will do the trick. 

Here it is with Cult Nails Wicked Fast Top Coat. If you haven't tried this top coat yet, I highly recommend it. It ties with Seche Vite as my favorite top coat. I use Seche Vite more because it's cheaper and easier to get. Whenever I order from Cult Nails, I usually throw in a bottle of Wicked Fast. It doesn't have the problem with shrinking that Seche Vite can have as far as I know. It's amazing!

Cult Nails Let's Get Dirty

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about Let's Get Dirty. I'm loving the wax finishes Cult Nails has been doing but needed to try it on to see how it looked with my skin tone. I really love this polish a lot more than I expected to! The formula was excellent and only needed two thin coats for opacity. 

When you put a top coat on, a silver shimmer pops out that makes this polish even more fantastic. 

Cult Nails Morning Glory

I saved my favorite for last, Cult Nails Morning Glory. It's a beautiful deep magenta that dries to a wax finish. The formula was a little thick but it applied without any problems (I used two coats). Isn't this gorgeous? I'm in love.

One coat of top coat (Wicked Fast) turns Morning Glory into a rich and juicy shade that is to die for. Look at how shiny it is! 

All of the polishes from this collection are still available on shop.cultnails.com. Their next collection, Dance All Night is available for presale right now through May 18th. On May 19th, the collection will be available to purchase for regular price. 

What do you think about wax finishes? Do you love them or hate them? Let me know in the comments below. I'm obviously loving it! 

Thanks for reading!

Please subscribe and visit me on my Facebook page!

-Mira

Press Release - OPI Couture de Minnie

OPI Walks the Runway with New Couture de Minnie Nail Lacquers, Inspired by Minnie Mouse

            OPI announces the launch of its Couture de Minnie collection, including four limited edition nail lacquers and one new Liquid Sand™ shade. Created in honor of Disney’s beloved character, the Couture de Minnie line explores the fashion-forward side of Minnie Mouse, mixing pink, fuschia and red shades with textural elements. In addition to three crème lacquers, the Couture de Minnie line features a red and white polka dot glitter shade and the strawberry-hued Liquid Sand nail lacquer in Magazine Cover Mouse to give nails a sparkly, matte finish.

 “Last summer, OPI created a ‘Vintage Minnie Mouse’ line. Women around the world fell in love with the fun and playful shades evocative of Minnie’s traditional look,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “This year, OPI is exploring a different side of Minnie Mouse. The Couture de Minnie collection draws inspiration from Minnie’s iconic style and incorporates trends most recently seen on the runways, from standout shades to fun textural elements.”

The Couture de Minnie collection includes:

Chic from Ears to Tail

This pop of bubblegum pink is totally fabulous!

A Definite Moust-Have

This fantastic fuchsia is at the top of my shopping list.

Minnie Style

This white and red glitter is the height of fashion.

Innie Minnie Mightie Bow

Catch this crimson by the toe!

Magazine Cover Mouse

The headline-making strawberry has sparkling texture.

Couture de Minnie nail lacquers each feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application.Liquid Sand lacquers should always be worn without top coat. This limited edition promotion will be available beginning June 2013 at professional salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan!

Cult Nails In the Garden Collection Part 1

Cult Nails recently released a Spring collection named, In the Garden. It consists of five vibrant shades of polish. Three shades have a waxy finish like Cult Nails Fetish and two are cremes. Today, I'm going to show you the two cremes. 

Cult Nails Ay Poppy!

 Maria (founder of Cult Nails) describes Ay Poppy! as traffic cone orange and I can't think of a better way to describe it. It's bright, rich, and fabulous. It's formula is perfection. It applies smoothly and dries quickly. I used two coats and topped it off with Cult Nails Wicked Fast top coat. If you love orange, this is a must have. It would also be amazing for nail art. You may remember my cartoon nails which featured Ay Poppy! 

 Cult Nails You're My Dandy Lion

This yellow blew my mind. Yellows are notorious for having difficult formulas. They apply streaky and patchy and usually need several coats to smooth them out. Not this one! I don't know how Maria did it but this was almost a one coater for me. My pinky was a one coater with it being so small. The rest only needed two coats. I about died when I swatched this polish. There is a tiny bit of shimmer that you can see in the bottle but it doesn't translate on the nail. I think the shimmer helped the formula if I remember correctly. Now, yellows look pretty awful on my pasty skin tone. I plan on using this for nail art. If you need a yellow, this is a must have just for the formula alone. 

What do you think of the collection so far? I saved my favorites for part 2 which are the polishes that have a waxy finish. *swoon*

Thanks for reading!

Please subscribe and visit me on my Facebook page.

-Mira 

Press Release - Nicole by OPI New Neon Mini Kits

Notoriously Neon!

Nicole by OPI Announces Two New Limited Edition Neon Mini Kits, the Brand’s First Neon Lacquer

Nicole by OPI launches its first neon nail lacquer with two limited edition mini kits. Scandalous! Neonsincludes vivid shades of blue, purple and pink while the Notorious! Neons includes vibrant shades of green, fuchsia and orange.

Each Neons kit includes a special white base coat, to be applied before adding color, allowing true neon pigments to pop. “These kits offer the hottest hues in a mini size to complement summer styles,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, Nicole by OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “Think of your nails as a blank canvas.  With these color combinations, there are endless options for creating works of art.”

In addition to the white base, Scandalous! Neons includes: Blue Neon (this blatant blue is deliberately belligerent), Purple Neon (this attention-seeking purple is a real publicity hound), and Pink Neon (this pink's purpose is to provoke your senses).

Along with white base, Notorious! Neons includes: Green Neon (this gossip-stirring green is the talk of the town), Fuchsia Neon (this fuchsia is famous for being unabashedly bold), and Orange Neon (this outrageous orange doesn't know the meaning of meek).

“The shades included in both sets are perfect for accessorizing fingers and toes with bright pops of color,” adds Weiss-Fischmann. “The first step is to apply the white base coat followed by the desired neon shade; finish with one coat of Nicole by OPI Top Coat Plus to achieve intense neon color with a glossy finish.”

Nicole by OPI formulas are long-lasting, fast-drying, and salon-quality.   Scandalous! Neons andNotorious! Neons mini packs will be available in stores beginning May 2013 for $10 each at retailers including Meijer, CVS, Duane Reade, H-E-B, Kroger, and ShopKo.  Top Coat Plus will be sold alongside the kits for $7.99. In Canada, the kits will be available for $12.50 each and Top Coat Plus for $10.99 at Loblaw, Jean Coutu, Rexall, London Drugs,and Shoppers Drug Mart.  

For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become aFacebook fan!

About Nicole by OPI:

Nicole by OPI offers a salon-quality range of bold, fashion-forward nail lacquers. The brand’s heritage is based in OPI’s well-established foundation of excellence in both color and technology, providing premium products to a broad range of consumers looking for trendsetting nail lacquers.